Justin Hicks: Driven to his Goals

We at Comedy Wham find unending delight in hearing how someone personifies their relationship to comedy. This week’s Austin comedian, Justin Hicks, knew from a young age that performance was an itch he hoped to scratch. But, it wasn’t always clear what direction it would take him. When he realized he had “something he wanted to talk about”–something so simple, yet so personal and full of conviction– things took a turn, and that alone should be an inspiration to all aspiring comics.

Raised in a small town in Connecticut, Hicks focused early on in sports at school while absorbing comedy culture with his family through shows like SNL, MadTV, and In Living Color.

Listening to the soothing tones of his laid back voice, it’s hard to believe that a young Hicks was also the frenetic, rambunctious class clown. Shades of the future, indeed.

After graduating from university with a Sports Management degree, Hicks took the opportunity to bolt down (literally picking up and moving over a weekend) to Texas for a role with the Austin Toros (now the Spurs). Listeners will be familiar with how the story goes from here: after an introduction to the Austin open-mic scene, it wasn’t long before Hicks found he had a tale of his own to tell.

In 2015, he turned that motivation into a deliberate process of finding his voice and style: cresting peaks and valleys, bombing and learning. It’s a journey in progress, he’ll readily proffer, but it seems to be working.